As a result of the destruction and chaos of World War II, the period following it was one during which basic values were questioned. The philosophy of Existentialism, (which has both atheistic and Christian forms), addresses the need for Western society to reexamine its basic principles. Jean Paul Sartre, in his essay Existentialism, insisted that Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself, that human beings are condemned to be free, and that man is both responsible for himself. . . and responsible for all men. Using one work of visual art chosen from the Works of Art Francis Bacon- Head VI (1949) and the discuss how the work of visual art and Ellisons novel reflect Existential concepts described in Sartres Existentialism Is a Humanism. How do the two works of art reflect Existential principles which guide the search for a unique, self-determined, and ethically responsible identity?
